Ukrainian president, NATO chief hold phone conversation ahead of alliance's summit

KIEV, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday held a phone conversation with Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg ahead of the alliance's upcoming summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

During the talks, the parties coordinated their positions ahead of the summit, with Zelensky calling for "powerful decisions and concrete steps," said a statement on the presidential website.

Zelensky congratulated Stoltenberg on the extension of his mandate as NATO chief for another year and voiced hope for further fruitful cooperation.

The conversation also touched upon the situation on the frontline in Ukraine and the latest developments in Russia.

For his part, Stoltenberg tweeted after the talks that in Vilnius NATO allies will take decisions to step up support for the long haul, upgrade political ties, and bring Ukraine closer to NATO.

The Vilnius NATO Summit is slated for July 11-12.